And then he disappeared
by PNWHufflePuffin
Summary: Tony gets a second chance at life after defeating Thanos. He comes back to find Peter had given EDITH to Mysterio and lashes out at him in a fight he comes to regret as shortly after their exchange Peter's identity is leaked to the world and the kid seems to disappear. A year later Peter is believed to be dead, so why is someone so familiar to him coming to Tony's rescue? oneshot


_God, I could never be like you_  
_I can't change, I can't change and I don't want to_  
_I've been on the run, so I'm not coming Sunday_  
_It's alright, I'll probably talk to you at midnight_

_Fear, that's what it was just to be clear_  
_You went and made everything weird_  
_But that's another song, another night, a shattered rung_  
_I guess what's done is done_

* * *

If you had asked Tony how he thought his day was going to go, he probably would have left it at a quiet day with Pepper and Morgan. Certainly he hadn't foreseen himself being accosted outside of a grocery store as he was getting into his car, nor the past 24 hours he'd spent bound in a dusty cellar somewhere. Alas, he here was though.

Tugging at the ropes that bound his wrists for the hundredth time, he bitterly thought that whoever had tied him up while he'd been unconscious had clearly been a boy scout. His bounds gave no leeway but instead only cut into his skin further due to the tightness in which they were secured.

He sighed and leaned his head against the wall he sat against. A sort of mounting sadness continued to lace its way into his thoughts as he thought of Pepper and Morgan at home being worried sick over his absence.

It had been over a year now, a damn year since he'd been in an Iron Man suit, and those days were still managing to bite him in the ass.

God he was too old for this shit. _Too tired. _One might think that a year of retirement would have treated him better than it had in that regard. As there had been plenty of time to rest over the months, and yet he still woke up every day in exhaustion. Turns out sleep didn't do much good when it was your soul that was tired.

When he'd watched Thanos float away he'd thought it had been over. In more ways than one. That day on the field he had laid his life down to protect everyone. Peter was back, and back in the world in which Pepper and Morgan also existed, which seemed like a pretty good way to leave it in his opinion. Tony was prepared to give his life so that they could live.

Only it hadn't ended there, because Steve Roger's had given Tony one last gift in his journey to return the stones. Steve pulled one more time heist and brought back Tony using the stones before disappearing into the past where Tony could never express his gratitude.

Bitterness laced Tony's memories from there forward, although he did not deserve to feel this way. Everything had gone as good as it could have under the circumstances. They'd won, they'd brought everyone back, and Steve had even managed to bring him back. Yet Tony in typical fashion managed to still fuck everything up.

It was not the day he'd wielded the gauntlet that he had put on his Iron Man suit for the last time. There was just one more time he'd put it on after that and it just so happened to coincide with the night he had made the biggest mistake of his life.

Rewarding a certain memory the title of his biggest regret was no easy feat for a man who had spent almost the entirety of his twenties in a drunken stupor, but there was no denying it. When he thought back to that night he was filled with such a sick shame that it threatened to consume him in the early days.

Because that night had been over a year ago now.

"_Tony it's already being handled! Don't you dare." Pepper screamed as the suit spread over his body and he was encased in the familiar red and gold armour. The faceplate remained open and he looked to his wife who had tears in her eyes. _

_It was a shitty situation, because he knew how this suit haunted Pepper's dreams. He knew all too well the last time she had seen him in it was when he had been dying. It haunted her and here he stood a mockery to her pain. _

_ "Pep… it's the kid." Tony reasoned but she wasn't having the excuses. _

_ "You just came back! You just came back Tony and you made promises. Happy is out there handling it already!" She countered but Tony shook his head._

_ "Happy doesn't have powers Pep. This guy causing the issue, Quinten Beck, well he's got some serious tech he's using against Peter." Tony tried to reason._

_ "I know you love the kid Tony, and I care about him too, but I'm not having you fly off every time he finds himself in a pinch of trouble. You brought him into this so either have faith him or pull him out." Pepper said and her voice was deadly calm. Tony felt helpless because he was torn. _

_ "This isn't just some small thing." He tried but she closed her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks. _

_ "You can break promises to me Tony, lord knows you have over the years. One thing I won't stand for though, is for you to break promises to Morgan. You just came back, and you know what she's going through." Pepper said and her tone was final. _

_Tony felt his heart constrict in pain. It was fucked up that his five year old daughter was being put into therapy because she woke up crying at night, he knew that. _

_Peter was as good as his own too though. EDITH was also on the line, which could come back to fuck up Morgan's life some day if it stayed in Beck's hands. He'd given Peter those glasses so this fell on his shoulders._

"_I have to." Tony said his voice breaking as he said it but what could he do? Someone got hurt either way, but people stood the chance of dying if he let what was going on in Europe carry on._

_Pepper just shook her head and turned to leave the shop. As she opened the door, he caught a glimpse of big brown eyes staring at him in horror from behind it. Pepper scooped up the little girl before slamming the door. _

_ Steve brought him back, and it was a gift. Yet, Tony felt sick to his stomach as he couldn't shake the feeling that he was already wasting that charity._

_ Time moved faster in this time line though, so by the time he'd gotten back Peter was already in Europe, already given EDITH, and apparently already given it away to someone very undeserving of it. So while he'd made those promises the night of his return to his wife and daughter, he hadn't known about the horror taking place across the globe yet._

_He almost considered taking the suit off and letting Nick handle this, but Nick had already made the mistake letting Quinten Beck weasel his way into Peter's life in the first place. News footage of wrecked cities in Europe flashed in his mind and he sighed as the face plate clicked into place and he took off into the night sky through the door that led out of the house. _

_ After a flight on the Quinjet he'd taken from the compound nearest his home, Tony arrived in Europe at the hotel Happy had told him he and the kid were at. He was nearly there already when Happy informed him over the phone that the immediate emergency had passed and Peter had taken care of it. _

_ He'd tried calling Pepper several times during the flight here but she didn't answer. So he didn't turn around, because he knew regardless there was a fight waiting for him at home. He minus well go give Peter the talking to he deserved. _

_ Trudging into the hotel Happy greeted him a familiar look of awe that was becoming familiar to him as people adjusted to the fact that he wasn't really dead. He'd seen that expression touch the faces of his wife, daughter, and Rhodey just to name a few. His friends and family had buried him and mourned him those days before his return though, so Tony knew how shocking it was, even if they had a heads up._

_ Happy looked as if he'd been through it though as he rushed forward. Tony clapped him on the shoulder and offered him a smile as tears welled in his old friend's eyes. _

_ "Our reunion can wait, where's the kid?" Tony asked briskly and Happy looked hesitant as he clearly gauged Tony's frustrated expression. _

_ "Look I know he messed up, but he's a good kid who just got into a spot of trouble when he wasn't ready for it yet." Happy blurted out but Tony just dead panned him before Happy finally sighed and turned to lead Tony to the room._

_ They entered the elevator and it was awkwardly silent between them as they rose from floor to floor. Tony hated it but he was too focused on seeing the kid to really make much of an attempt to fix it currently. Later he would catch up with Happy properly but he was on a time limit knowing the rage from his wife that was waiting at home._

_ "Look Tony… he had a hard time when you died okay?" Happy finally said, braver than Tony, as he tried to fill the uncomfortable stillness. _

_ Tony was spared the task of responding however as the elevator pinged and opened to reveal the floor in which they had been approaching. Happy didn't seem to need a response, it was more of a statement, because he exited the elevator and led Tony down the hall instead of waiting for a response. _

_ Happy stopped at room number 53, and gestured lamely at the door. A disapproving look on his face because Tony knew his old friend could read his expressions like a book. Happy was well aware that a fight was about to ensue if Tony knocked on that door. _

_ Tony stepped forward and rapped his knuckles on the door three times before standing back with his arms crossed. From behind it, he could hear a shuffle of someone approaching. Deep underneath the frustration was a sort of excitement to see Peter if he was being honest with himself. God he'd gone so long thinking he'd never see that damned kid again. _

_ The door flew open to reveal Peter standing there looking surprised but excited. He was dressed in sweatpants and a nerdy science shirt, his hair still damp from a shower. Observing his face Tony noticed the healing bruises and cuts that littered the kid's pale face. _

_ "Mister Stark!" Peter cried out in excitement and Tony unfolded his arms just in time as the kid collided into his chest in a bone crushing hug. _

_ "Super strength, kid" Tony choked out, patting the kid on the back who quickly pulled away with an awkward apologetic look on his face. Tears were glistening in his eyes as he looked at Tony as if he still couldn't believe he was standing there._

_ "Sorry." Peter muttered but Tony just walked passed him into the room. Happy followed and Peter shut the door following him into the main area of the room. _

_ "I can't believe you're alive, Mister Stark. I mean Happy clued me in because he said if he didn't my head would explode when I saw you. Which for the record it totally probably would have. I can't believe Steve brought you back, this is amazing." Peter babbled on happily and Tony's reserve almost broke as the kid looked up at him with such an unapologetic and honest look of admiration in his eyes. _

_ "See kid your heads about to explode and you already knew." Happy chastised playfully and Peter just offered him a rueful smile. _

_ "I'm really happy you're alive Mister Stark. When you died…" Peter started to say but Tony held up a hand to stop him. Peter's lips pressed firmly together and his eyes grew reproachful as he clearly began to read the expression on Tony's face._

_ "What the hell happened kid?" Tony demanded his voice colder than he had intended. _

_ "I know I messed up big time with EDITH. I'm so sorry Mister Stark but I mean Nick trusted Beck, so I figured I could too." Peter explained and his face looked truly, and almost heartbrokenly, sorry. _

_ "I left those to you kid. I left them to you because I thought you could handle this life you so desperately wanted to be apart of." Tony said exasperatedly as he pinched the bridge of his nose._

_ "I do want to be apart of this life. It's my responsibility to be apart of it. Just a lot happened and I was really thrown back in before I was ready." Peter defended and Happy sat down in one of the chairs off to the side, looking sad at what he was witnessing. _

_ "After everything I did to bring you back, I just thought you'd be a little more responsible this go around." Tony said coldly and now to his surprise Peter looked almost angry. _

_ "You don't think I know that! Do you have any idea what kind of horrible pressure that put on me Mister Stark? The weight I had to carry around?" Peter demanded his voice low but steady._

_ "No more than what I did the five years you were gone. But did I give a billion dollar weapon away to a bad guy?" Tony asked his voice full of a nasty sort of sarcasm and Peter looked as if he'd been slapped. _

_ "It's not the same. Look around you! The world was mourning and they were scared. You were gone, Cap was gone, Black Widow was gone, Bruce was permanently injured, Thor and Captain Marvel were off the planet. So I was left with people wanting to know if I was going to be the next Iron man after watching you die. I wasn't and will never be you." Peter cried out angrily. _

_ The kid stormed across the hotel room and ripped the long curtains aside to reveal the view from his room. His shaking hand pointed into the distance where on one of the buildings was an Iron man mural. _

_ "I think it's pretty clear you were never going to be able to handle being the next Iron man." Tony said coldly ignoring the damning evidence that stared down on them all from the window. _

_ Peter looked crestfallen, his shaking finger lowering to his side. The kid just stared at him in a lost sort of way, clearly taken aback by the anger Tony had brought with him._

_ "You shouldn't have left me those if you felt that way." Peter said simply, his voice soft. _

_ "I didn't used to. I thought after everything you would have been better. Do you have any idea how much hot water I'm going to be in with Pep and Morgan when I get home? I promised them I would never put this on and I broke it almost immediately because you decided to give a psycho something that would have come back on me." Tony yelled gesturing to the nano tech device that was placed upon his chest. Peter stared at it with dislike._

_ "I'm sorry Mister Stark." Peter said looking up at him and there was a sincerity in his eyes that Tony couldn't deny. There was no fight left in the kid and it was clear. It wasn't surprising though, Peter had never been the angry type._

_ "Where is EDITH?" Tony asked shortly and the kid walked over to his bedside cabinet and pulled the case out. He walked back over to Tony and placed it into his hands. _

_ "There. Just go back home to Morgan and Pepper. Everything's done and they're back with you now okay?" The kid said as he turned his back on Tony and strode back over to the window to close the blinds he had flung open in rage. _

"_Get him home to his Aunt in one peice." Tony instructed Happy as he strode towards the door. Happy looked at him in disappointment but nodded his head. Tony opened the door and left Europe without another word to Peter Parker._

Tony closed his eyes in frustration as his brain reminded him of that awful night while already in a shitty hostage situation. In typical self deprecating nature, he knew he deserved this though, because nobody would be coming for him.

There had been a time where he had a team rallying behind him. Now though, that was hardly the case. Natasha was dead, Steve was in the past living his life, Thor was off the world with the Guardian's, Bruce was permanently injured and therefore stepping back, and Rhodey had retired as well. Rhodey would come for him when he got word, but it may be too late. There was one hero in particular that Tony knew would have fought through hell and back to try and locate him. He knew this because he would have never wanted the kid to get involved in this, which was prime territory for the kid to do it anyways.

Only Peter wasn't coming. Tony hadn't seen Peter since that night in Europe when he'd told the kid off. Only Tony wasn't the only one who hadn't seen him, in fact nobody had.

Even in death, Quentin had taken one last stab at twisting the narrative of the attacks in Europe in his favor. His team had released edited footage that victimized Beck and Villianized Peter. They had also released Peter's identity.

Tony's heart constricted in pain as he thought of Peter alone that day when the news had come out. There was footage of him taken on several cell phones as the news broke. The poor kid had been out in the open, wearing the suit, and in a panic Peter had taken off. The girl who had been with him, MJ, was the last to see him.

It tormented Tony to think of how scared Peter would have been in that moment. The kid had always been so careful about his identity and it was stolen from him. Peter would have never put anyone he loved in danger in asking for help. So he didn't go home to his Aunt, he didn't call his friends, and he didn't even call Happy for help. Peter ran.

Tony wondered if things had been different between them, if Peter would have called him. He was sure the kid probably would have. Tony knew he was someone that Peter always thought had the answers. With his resources in this instance it wasn't wrong. Tony could have protected the kid, and Peter surely knew that.

The regret and shame that filled him when he thought of how badly he'd fucked up things between Peter and himself right before that happening was a heavy sort of thing. The type of baggage that was just too large to carry, but never ceased to exist despite the strain.

After everything they had gone through Tony had still been foolish enough to believe that time would always be on his side. Peter was young and he'd assumed now that Thanos had gone, he'd have all the time in the world to make amends with the kid. Time is always what humans want most, and yet what they use the worst. Tony however rich and smart he may be, turned out to be no exception to that flaw.

Tony had gone on the hunt for Peter after that. He'd gone into overdrive in his search for him, hacking into every single database he could to try and get a glimpse of the kid's face somewhere. Pepper hadn't complained, but instead even encouraged the insane hours he'd spent devoted to his search. Only it turns out he wasn't the only one looking for Peter Parker.

To those who knew the real kid behind the mask, Spider Man was nothing more than a kid trying to help his town. Peter was _good_ at being Spider Man though, and in his skills he'd caught some serious criminals that had been running amuck in Queen's before his interference. These men had ended up in jail. Most notoriously though, Adrian Toomes had gone down due to Peter Parker.

Adrian Toomes had been one of the many who had blipped. When he came back five years later though, the jail in which he had been kept in was demolished, therefore giving him the chance at freedom.

So together with Adrian Toomes at the head, a group had formed and deemed themselves the Sinister Six. It had been a Thursday evening when they had hacked the local news stations, and hijacked several networks to broadcast something Tony would never, ever forget.

Together all of New York Tony had watched the awful men proclaim to have found Spider Man. Adrian Toomes had held up a familiar red and blue suit, only it was tattered and stained with blood.

Tony had gone into denial, refusing to believe that the men were telling the truth. He clung to the fact that he had seen no body, and that there were plenty of knock off Spider Man suits being sold every hour these days. He'd scoffed at their attempt to fuck with his head even.

That was until they had sent in the suit to the Daily Bugle to display. Tony had marched down to that shitty news building and taken the suit. A man had been left with a broken nose and Tony a lawsuit but he had retrieved the suit nonetheless. When he'd gotten it back to the lab he confirmed it was indeed Peter's true suit. Truthfully he'd known the moment he'd seen it in person and held it in his hands but denial was a funny thing. He'd fallen to his knees in the lab that day. Pepper had found him that way hours later.

So from there he clung to the feeble fact that there had been no body. He'd hacked every single camera he could and yet months and months passed with no sight of the kid. May and Happy hadn't heard anything, nor had Peter's friends from school. God how he wished for months to just catch a fucking _glimpse_ of the kids face, but he never did.

So here in the present as he sat in some dusty shithole cellar he vaguely accepted that this was his was karma for everything he had done wrong to Peter Parker. Peter who had idolized him and stuck by him without fail.

The door to the cellar flew open and crashed into the wall with a loud bang. Tony looked up lazily as a man strode into the room. Anger flashed through him as he recognized the face of Adrian Toomes.

"Stark." The man greeted as he stopped feet from Tony and gazed down at him in amusement but the dislike, however, was still apparent on his face.

"Fuck you." Tony said quietly as he looked up into the face of the man who had taken something so important from him.

"Well that's just not very polite, you are our guest after all." Toomes pretended to chastise him as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall lazily.

"What do you want?" Tony spat angrily as he was in no mood to play games. He wished Toomes would just get to the point.

"Well I was just checking on you, it's been roughly 24 hours since we sent the photos to your family and requested the ransom." Toomes taunted his face wearing a smirk that made Tony's blood boil.

He lunged forward, not caring that he was bound. Not caring that he didn't have a suit of armour. Rage had taken the reigns on his actions. Toomes however kicked out at him and Tony flew back into the stone wall.

"You have no advantage here Stark." Toomes stated pushing his foot down on Tony's ankle and pressing down hard. Tony tried to hold his gaze into those awful eyes instead of breaking but the pain was heavy as the boot pressed down harder and harder as the seconds went on.

"I know you've been tracking us. I also know it was you who got some of our main guys put away. You should have known I'd come for you. Once your wife sends the money I'm just going to kill you anyway. You shouldn't have messed with us Stark. You should have stuck to your quiet life of retirement." Toomes ranted before finally pulling back his foot and stepping back to observe Tony's pitiful stance as he was crumpled up against the wall.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen, and all over the stupid kid you loved so much." Toomes mocked and Tony saw red again as the man dared to speak about Peter in front of him.

"We killed him you know? It was a slow and painful death. A fitting death for such a bothersome little freak."

Lunging forward he managed to get to his feet, his hands still tied tightly behind his back. Without use of his hands he still tried to kick his foot out furiously in the direction of Toomes who dodged it and punched Tony hard in the face. Tony fell to the ground once more. Slowly he sat up the best he could, spitting blood onto the floor.

Whatever Toomes was about to say, he would not know now because there was commotion above them.  
"Toomes!" A voice yelled and Toomes bolted up the steps, a look of annoyance and anxiousness evident on his face before it disappeared. Tony watched as the man forgot to close the door behind him in his panic.

Slowly Tony stood to his feet awkwardly, blood dripping from his lip, and his vision blurring from the hit his head had taken from being knocked back. He continued on and hesitantly walked up the stairs as he followed the sounds of the disturbance.

Perhaps he should have stayed put, but Toomes had said he was going to kill him anyways so what was there to lose? Certain that it must be Rhodey, he continued to climb the steps one by one.

When he emerged he saw that he was in some kind of warehouse loaded to the brim with weapons. Apparently Toomes and his gang were still operating their weapon sales. There were several guards running around with their guns out, but more of them lay upon the ground knocked out.

Tony expected to see the familiar gleam of the War Machine suit but he didn't. In fact he saw something very different, and unexpected, to say the least.

There were probably 12 guards operating in this warehouse but nearly all of them were down now. Flying around by webs that shot from his wrist cuffs a small figure kicked and punched his way through who was left.

Tony's mouth fell open in astonishment at the figures precision. The person was wearing an all black suit with a matching mask that hid all his features. The person was smaller in form to have caused such damage. Hope was blooming in Tony's chest as he watched in awe. He tried to keep the hope at bay just in case, but the similarities were uncanny.

There had been several times Tony thought he'd had a lead in his search for Peter as people began popping up in knock off suits attempting to fill Spider Man's role. There had been a particularly convincing kid who had just turned out to be a 21 year old trained in several forms of fighting.

So yes, Tony had seen more than his fair share of knock offs. Never one who fit Peter's build so well. Never one who held the powers of Peter's super strength. Especially never one who had Spider Man's webbing. Yet here this masked person appeared so similar to Peter that Tony stumbled forward towards him as he knew the fight was coming to an end.

The masked person moved towards the last person standing in the warehouse that wasn't Tony or himself. They moved on to Toomes now who hadn't gotten to his own suit in time. No Vulture, just another man without it.

Toomes hit the ground and a masked face looked up to see Tony approaching them. Their head tilted to the side ever so slightly before walking forward to meet Tony. They gently turned him around by his shoulder and snapped the ropes in two with a pull as if they were yarn instead of the thick industrial ropes that fell to the ground.

Tony pulled his arms around in front of him and rubbed at his irritated wrists. The figure turned to head towards the door and fear gripped at Tony's heart.

"Wait!" Tony called out, and his voice was almost childlike in it's desperation. The figure turned to face him and Tony walked forward once more. His hand was shaking as he reached up to try and touch the mask. The person jerked back and shook their head.

"Please… I have to know." Tony begged and in all his years he had never begged in such a pitiful way. No shame touched him though, he was too transfixed in his conviction on who was standing in front of him behind the thin material.

"Is it you? How is it you?" Tony asked, his voice soft and vulnerable as he watched the figure in front of him. He was almost scared to blink, scared that in one millisecond the person would disappear.

"Yeah." The person answered and even in just one softly spoken word Tony no longer doubted who the person was. He knew that voice, it had haunted him to think he would never hear it again.

A smile broke out on his face and he stumbled forward and pulled Peter into his arms. He squeezed him tightly and tears began to form in the corners of his eyes.

"It's okay." Peter whispered his body somewhat stiff but the kid wrapped his arms around him, returning the hug before backing up a small pace awkwardly.

"Please… can you take it off?" Tony asked gesturing to Peter's face which was still hidden behind the black mask. Peter didn't say anything just looked down at his gloved hands which were gripped together tightly, clearly anxious. Tony waited patiently however, still scared that the kid would vanish with one wrong move.

Seconds passed in silence before Peter sighed and reached up. Gripping the black material firmly in his hands he pulled at it. Joy like Tony hadn't felt in years hit him like a tidal wave as he finally saw the face he had ached to see again for so long.

Peter's hair was longer and sticking up awkwardly from where the mask had sat against it. His face was so familiar and yet different. He looked a little older now, and his eyes were different, colder and hesitant and he looked to Tony.

Tony felt another round of dizziness sweep over him, his brain reeling from the hit it had taken from Toomes and the anomaly that was now standing in front of him. It had been a long day. Peter rushed forward and caught him as he swayed on the spot.

"You okay?" Peter asked quickly but Tony was more than fine. He was the greatest he'd been in months even after being kidnapped. Steadying himself Peter slowly reduced his hold as Tony got his barings to stand on his own again.

"I looked for you… I still have been looking… I've been so fucking _desperate_ to hold hope that you were alive. That he lied that day about you being dead." Tony stuttered out gesturing to where Toomes lay upon the floor out cold. Peter followed his pointed finger and stared at Toomes's unconscious form with dislike.

"Where have you been though? Did someone find you and take you?" Tony pushed reaching forward and placing both of his trembling hands on Peter's shoulders. It was an affectionate notion, and yet more of an attempt to ground the kid to where he stood. He was still so paranoid that Peter was about to disappear from his life all over again at any second.

"No… nobody found me, I've just been on my own for the most part." Peter murmured his eyes were fixed on the dusty floor of the warehouse. Tony was confused, and taken aback.

"Have you had contact with anyone? Happy or May? I talked to them all, dozens of times Did they lie?" Tony asked feeling a bit of frustration prematurely flare in his chest. Happy and himself had never truly rekindled their friendship to what it once was after Peter had disappeared. Happy never said it, but Tony knew his old friend resented him for having driven Peter away.

"No… I haven't talked to anyone from home. May doesn't even know." Peter answered and his voice was still quiet.

"You didn't want anyone to know you were still alive." Tony stated, because it wasn't a question. He'd reached the end on those, it was clear now that Peter had been on the run and in hiding.

"No. No I didn't." Peter confirmed looking up at Tony now who slowly pulled his hands off of Peter's shoulders. He suddenly saw how much the kid had changed, the difference in his eyes mainly. They weren't wild with curiosity and life. The brown eyes that blinked back at him now held something incredibly familiar within them; bitterness. Tony recognized it because it shone in his own eyes each day he looked in the mirror.

"Why?" Tony asked and his voice sounded sad even to himself, but he couldn't bring himself to reign it in. All this time Peter had been alive… and the kid had never once reached out to him.

"I was just done with all the damage I was causing here. I was tired of being a burden. Then my identity got out and I just thought… well I wasn't going to let them take anything more than what they'd already taken from me." Peter burst out his words flowing quickly like they had in the past. Only back then it had been while talking about happier things.

"I could have protected you. I _would_ have protected you." Tony implored and Peter just shook his head sadly, giving Tony a sympathetic expression.

"No you couldn't have. You had Pepper and you had a daughter. You had a second chance at life with them and within the first day of being back from the dead you had to come deal with me." Peter explained and Tony shook his head furiously.

"No. That day was a mistake. It was the biggest mistake of my like Pete… I'm sorry I was so hard on you. You didn't deserve it." Tony burst out, the words he'd wanted to say to the kid for so long, finally leaving him. His voice was desperate as he begged the kid to understand.

"I know and I'm sorry for the guilt you've carried with you. I wanted to come back and there were times I almost did." Peter explained.

"Then why didn't you?" Tony urged, and Peter looked thoughtful for a moment, but there was a change in his expression. Tony was surprised to see it was almost happiness that appeared on his face.

"I've been something like a burden to Aunt May. I know she loves me and I know she would never regret anything she gave up to help raise me. When my identity leaked though she was in danger so I distanced myself from her to keep her safe. I check in on her and I know she's with Happy now. I know he will take care of her. Same with my friends. I know I caused them pain, a lot of pain, but in the long run I'm sparing them a hell of a lot more." Peter explained fiddling with his mask that was in his hands. Tony was thunderstruck as always at the kids selflessness.

"What about me? Do you know the hell I've been in?" Tony whispered because he had to know and he was not nearly as selfless as the kid in front of him. Peter reached out to grab Tony's hand in which he squeezed gently.

"I wanted you safe and I knew if you were always chasing after me you never would be. Your story was ending, and mine, well it was just beginning." Peter whispered with such sincerity that Tony felt tears well up in his eyes all over again.

"My story involves you though kid." Tony said stubbornly and Peter smiled another sad smile.

"You had a happy ending Tony. I wasn't going to jeopardize that after seeing the alternative where you died." Peter said firmly and his expression made it clear that the memory was painful.

"You called me Tony." Tony noted and Peter just smiled at him, his expression was hard to read.

"Yeah figured it's about time right?" Peter joked but the tension in the room was palpable. It was a happier ending than Tony had expected, but it still felt like an ending nonetheless. When the kid left would he ever see him again?

"Where have you been? How come I never found you?" Tony asked curiously and Peter looked hesitant to answer the question.

"Seattle a lot as it's the opposite end of things. I wear the mask pretty much any time I'm out in the open. It's not hard to do with how many people have been popping up trying to be hero's now that the whole Avenger thing is done." Peter explained and Tony tucked the city of Seattle into his brain for safe keeping.

"Then why did you come today? Why now?" Tony asked and Peter looked at him in disbelief as if the question was absurd.

"I came today because I saw on the news that you were being held by these assholes. I knew Toomes would kill you, because I also know you've been running patrol on them." Peter explained gesturing to where Toomes still lay out cold upon the floor.

"I'm so glad you did, even though I don't deserve it." Tony muttered and Peter sighed.

"You've got to stop carrying this guilt around Tony. I'm fine. I'm working with the hand I've been dealt and look, I've made it this far." Peter said gesturing to himself and his new suit that Tony had no doubts the kid made himself.

"No you're not kid, you belong here with us. I can see the change in you. This hasn't been easy on you." Tony argued and Peter just shrugged his shoulders with a rueful smile.

"I fucked up with EDITH Tony. No matter how much guilt you carry around what happened with Beck was on _me_. There are consequences to fuck ups that epic and I'm just living with them." Peter fired back and Tony shook his furiously.

"You shouldn't have to run away from those you love." Tony said angrily but Peter looked unphased by his outburst.

"I ran away to keep the people I love safe. Including you." Peter said simply with another shrug as he toyed with the mask in his hands uncomfortably.

"I'm going to fix this. I'm going to fix this whole mess so you can feel safe coming home." Tony said confidently and Peter looked almost worried.

"You're not going to tell _anyone_ about this, especially May okay because…"

"Shut up kid, of course I'm not. I know why you've done the things you have even if it fucking sucks. I'll keep your secrets like I always have because I owe it to you." Tony said cutting across the kid who looked up at him now with an expression that both broke and mended Tony's heart all at once. It was the way the kid used to look at him before, like Tony was the greatest person alive who could solve anything.

"Thank you." Peter said with sincerity lacing his tone that Tony knew to his core he didn't deserve.

"Tony… I've got to go. I give Rhodey and anonymous tip about this location right as I arrived so he could get you home. He'll be here soon." Peter said suddenly looking nervous as he seemed to realize how much time had passed.

"Kid no." Tony said reaching out and grabbing Peter's shoulder roughly, desperate to keep him near.

"I'm stronger than you, and you're injured too. I'm leaving with or without your blessing but if Rhodey sees me you're breaking the promise you made to me so please… just let me go, okay?" Peter asked softly looking sadly at the hand Tony had placed on his shoulder.

Tony didn't let up right away, he kept his hand there. Peter raised those brown eyes to look into his own and slowly with a disinclined and shaking hand, he let go of Peter's shoulder and backed up a step.

"I'm going to find you though. Now that I know you're alive kid I only wanna bring you home more. I'm not giving up on you being in my life." Tony warned and Peter smiled at him with an expression that was almost challenging.

"I look forward to it Mister Stark." Peter said pulling the mask back over his face and adjusting his web shooters on his wrists.

Tony grabbed the kid and pulled him into one last hug in which he returned without fuss. Tony reluctantly let go however, a promise he'd made in the forefront of his mind as he knew he would have to let Peter go for now.

"I'll find you." Tony repeated and Peter just waved before web slinging from the ceiling to the large doors across the room in which he kicked at with his feet. They flew open and he was gone into the night.


End file.
